A review by tsar
Red Queen, by Victoria Aveyard

challenging emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

 “Anyone can betray anyone.” 

To simply put, Red Queen would remind you of any young adult dystopian replica that revolves around the issues of classism where youth has taken the strongest voice of resistance against dictatorial leadership. We might have been very much familiar with the titles due to their explosive popularity, nonetheless, each tale writes a uniqueness that defines their individuality.

Perhaps, that novel quality lies in the illustration of conflicts between the sub-human race in regards to power and privilege. The existence of Mare Barrow is constructed as a usurper of the luxurious lifestyle that Silvers have devoured, threatening the stronghold of the status quo because of a lowly Red producing a similar superpower that is believed to be limited for the elites. It pushes the elites to do something quite severe in handling the case—either she is molded into one of them while secretly being watched as a guinea pig of research or destroyed to save the extravagance before she turns to slaughter them.

In doing so, Aveyard prepares one step further for the Red Queen to transform into something much more significant that could change the game from the one presented, intensifying a peaked climax that reveals a more dangerous momentum in a plot twist that has been foreshadowed since the beginning of the chapter. The betrayal she ensues is wickedly crafty yet coldly mortifying to witness, solidifying her talent to twist interpersonal and political conflicts in a fiction.

While the plot is consistently engaging from the start to the finish, the initial establishment of the characters leave much to be desired: they exist for the sake of existing as the typical tropes of dystopian fiction, presenting their characterization into seemingly one-dimensional writing that lacks any spark. Fortunately, the historical background that is gradually revealed in the book helps to keep them from being a total bore-fest, pushing these characters to grow as the tale goes darker on each page. As a result, it culminates into a portrayal of main characters that have gone beyond the measly introduction of their names.

Do I like it? Surely, I do. That ending alone is certainly satisfying as a cliff-hanger that gets me on board for the next books. Although, I couldn't say that this is the strongest debut I've seen in a while. 
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